The Garden - July 17

Let's start with the bad news...with the construction going on, I neglected my watering duties for a few days and now all the herbs are dead. Why can't I get these things to stay alive?!?! My mother says they never grow right unless you grow them in the ground. And considering the green thumb she has...if she can't get them to stay alive, I guess there was very little hope for me.

My strawberry plant was growing strawberries left and right. Now nothing. Plus all the leaves are turning red...what does that mean? There are two more showing up now...but growing so slow that I don't know if they'll make it.
I ate my first yellow bell tomato the other day. How amazing are these little guys! It had the texture of a plum, but not as sweet. Good plain, better with a smidge of kosher salt.

Finally! One of our patio tomatoes are turning red. Well, technically it's orange, but it's getting there.
Our bush cucumber plants are still very small, but they are flowering like crazy.

As I took the picture above, I noticed that hidden under the leaves and flowers were two cucumbers! Who knew?

My pea plant is officially dead and dried up. I have to say the plants I bought from a very well known farm in Freehold (actually it was just the peas and the bush cucumbers) are not doing even half as well as the ones from Home Depot and Lowes. I wonder if it's because they were both container planted...I think next year I'll stick to the big box stores.

Hey, look, corn!

I'm a city girl, so don't laugh, but what the heck is this stuff growing at the top? I thought that was going to turn into corn...apparently not. Is it okay to let the birds eat it, or should I leave the netting on?

Holy cantaloupe Batman! These six little plants that cost maybe $2 at Home Depot are growing to the point that I think they're going to take over my whole yard!

We've got lots and lots of yellow summer squash growing.

Squash flowers are so pretty!

Our pepper plant is finally flowering!
Tomatoes...
and more tomatoes.

I have so much lettuce it's crazy. They say to plant them two weeks apart so you have a steady supply, but I've been picking outside leaves only and we've been fine.

Mmmmm....beets. Notice how they're pushing out of the ground? I think because I only have two inches or so of garden soil and hard, clay soil underneath, they're pushing up out of the ground. Or course, I've never grown beets before so maybe this is just what they do.

See? The carrots are doing it too.

I'm so happy I decided to grab up that clearance blue berry bush!

More pretty blue berry pictures.
Summer, acorn and spaghetti squash.

Lettuce, carrots, beets.

Tomatoes, pepper, cantaloupe.

Transplanted summer squash (doing much better now), corn and lettuce.